Monday, August 8, 2016

Time to Retire the Nuclear Football

by Diana Ohlbaum
Speculation about whether Donald Trump can be trusted
with his finger on the nuclear “button”, should he be elected
president, is a reminder that the world’s survival rests on a hair
trigger.
Contrary to popular belief, there is no actual button to be pushed.
But the president of the United States goes nowhere without a briefcase
(the “football”)
containing a menu of targets and list of verification codes (the
“biscuit”). Twenty-five years after the end of the Cold War,does it make
sense to hold human existence hostage to the decision of one
individual, acting alone, on a moment’s notice?
To answer this question, we first need to consider the circumstances
under which the use of nuclear weapons would ever be contemplated.
The primary purpose of having a nuclear arsenal is not to use it.
U.S. officials view nuclear weapons first and foremost as a deterrent to
attacks on America and its allies—if not to threaten mutual assured
destruction then at least to impose unacceptable costs. But deterrence
assumes three things: that the attack is intentional, that the adversary
is rational, and that the threat is credible. Nuclear weapons cannot
“deter” an accidental launch, nor can they scare a madman out of his
desire to become a martyr. http://lobelog.com/time-to-retire-the-nuclear-football/#more-35359